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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Monday, March 11, 2019 7:54 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Monday,
March 11, 2019


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=001-4e3&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Monday, March 11, 2019 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• 2020 Iowa Poll: Biden 27%; Sanders 25%; Warren 9%; Harris 7%; O’Rourke 5%.
<#S1>

• CBS News: Among Democratic Contenders, Biden “Looms Over Field.” <#S2>

• Buzz About Possible Biden Bid Continues To Build. <#S3>

• Media Analyses: Biden Would Bring Potentially Problematic Baggage To A
2020 Run. <#S4>

• AP Analysis: Biden Would Face Fundraising Challenge In A 2020 Bid. <#S5>

• De Blasio Dings Bloomberg, Says Biden Too “Moderate” To Win Democratic
Nomination. <#S6>

• WPost’s Scott: Biden’s Appeals To Bipartisanship Find Traction Because
He’s A White Male. <#S7>

• CNBC: Sources Say Biden May Emphasize Infrastructure Plans In A 2020 Run.
<#S8>

• If He Wins In 2020, Biden Would Become Oldest Person To Win US Presidency.
<#S9>

• Virginia GOP Chief Rips Biden For Hiring Creator Of “Despicable” Latino
Victory Fund Ad. <#S10>

• Penn Democrats Won’t Endorse A Candidate Until March 2020. <#S11>

• Brown Says Potential Biden Bid Had “Zero” Influence On His Decision To
Skip 2020 Race. <#S12>

• NYTimes A1: Democratic Moderates Increasingly Concerned By “Sharp Left
Turn” Of 2020 Field. <#S13>

• 2020 Democrats Focus Early Efforts On Building Black Support. <#S14>

• Sanders Seeks To Shore Up 2020 Support In Early States Amid Threat From
Rivals. <#S15>

• Warren Proposes Break-Up Of Large Tech Companies. <#S16>

• O’Rourke Continues “To Tease His Plans For 2020.” <#S17>

• Castro: I Am “The Antithesis Of Donald Trump.” <#S18>

• Inslee Emphasizes Climate Change In Presidential Run. <#S19>

• Booker Makes Case For Next Step Act. <#S20>

• 2020 Democrats Make Pitch At SXSW. <#S21>

• WPost Examines Schultz’s Turbulent Ownership Of NBA Team. <#S22>

• WPost Analysis: Trump’s “Behemoth” Reelection Campaign Has 2016 Populist
Themes. <#S23>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump To Seek $8.6B For Border Wall In Budget Proposal To Be Released
Today. <#S24>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Bolton Addresses Reports Suggesting North Korea May Be Resuming Missile
Tests. <#S25>

• Kudlow: US-China Talks Making “Great Progress.” <#S26>

• Bolton Says Momentum In Venezuela Is On Guaidó’s Side. <#S27>

• Bolton: US Presence In Syria To Prevent ISIS Resurgence. <#S28>

• NYTimes Analysis: Netanyahu-Trump Ties “Stronger Than Ever” Ahead Of
Israeli Election. <#S29>

• US Airstrikes In Afghanistan Reportedly Kill 13 Civilians. <#S30>

• NYTimes Analysis: US Escalating Campaign Against Al Shabab In Somalia.
<#S31>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Barrasso Says He Is “Going To Support The President” On Emergency
Declaration. <#S32>

• Schiff: It’s A “Mistake” For Mueller Not To Interview Trump. <#S33>

• Axios: Trump Told RNC Donors That Democrats “Hate Jewish People.” <#S34>

• Kudlow: Growing Trade Deficit Is Neither Good Nor Bad. <#S35>

• Powell Expects Slower Growth This Year. <#S36>

• Powell: Fed Not In A Hurry To Change Interest Rate Policy. <#S37>

• Central Banks Adjust Policies To Reduce Odds Of Recession. <#S38>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• NCI’s Sharpless Talks President’s Childhood Cancer Initiative In
Interview. <#S39>

• Columnist: Too Many People Are Dying From Colorectal Cancer Because They
Weren’t Screened. <#S40>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• Washington Post. <#S41>
Biden in the News
2020 Iowa Poll: Biden 27%; Sanders 25%; Warren 9%; Harris 7%; O’Rourke 5%.

The Des Moines (IA) Register
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=002-2d1&t=c>
(3/10, Pfannenstiel) reported that while former Vice President Joe Biden
“has yet to enter the 2020” battle for the Democratic presidential
nomination, he “still leads the pack in Iowa.” The article said that a Des
Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll of 401 likely Democratic
caucusgoers, taken March 3-6, shows Biden leading with 27%, followed by
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at 25%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at 9%, Sen.
Kamala Harris (D-CA) at 7%, ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) at 5%, and a raft
of contenders lagging further behind. The Register said that Biden’s
support is down five points from a similar poll taken in December.

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=003-2eb&t=c>
(3/9) reported, “Likely caucusgoers continued to be divided along two key
lines in assessing their choices for president: age and ideology. Among
those under age 45, Sanders has a 9-point edge over Biden, 32% to 23%, with
Warren at 10% and Harris at 9%. Among older likely caucusgoers, Biden
stands 15 points ahead of Sanders, 32% to 17%, with no other candidate in
double digits. The ideological divide is similar. Among liberals, 30% back
Sanders, 21% Biden, 11% Warren and 7% each Harris and O’Rourke. Moderate or
conservative likely caucusgoers, however, give Biden a wide edge: 36% to
Sanders’ 18%, with the rest below 10%.”

In another online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=004-04a&t=c>
(3/10, Sparks) reported that Biden’s favorability rating is pegged at 81%
in the poll. In addition, “64% of the likely Democratic caucusgoers said
that Biden has more experience than any other candidate and want him to get
in the race. Only three-in-ten said that the time for him as a candidate
has passed and he should stay out. Biden’s political views are “about
right” for most caucusgoers (70%), with fewer who thought he was too
liberal (6%) or too conservative (14%).”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=005-156&t=c>
(3/10, Herndon) reports, “The results signal how Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders,
two longtime politicians on opposite ends of the party’s ideological
spectrum, are entering the race with great familiarity to voters. It
remains to be seen if that will translate to hardened support, particularly
in one of the largest, most wide-open and diverse Democratic primary fields
in history.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=006-a85&t=c>
(3/9, Korecki), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=007-df7&t=c>
(3/9, Axelrod), Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=008-e77&t=c>
(3/10, Gardner), the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=009-930&t=c>
(3/10, White), and Vox
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=00a-db4&t=c>
(3/10, Shah) also report on the poll results.
CBS News: Among Democratic Contenders, Biden “Looms Over Field.”

The CBS Weekend News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=00b-fd3&t=c>
(3/10, story 3, 1:30, Quijano) reported, “Several Democrats hoping to carry
the party’s flag into the next presidential election tested their ideas
this weekend at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.” CBS (Morgan) added,
“At least ten Democrats and Republicans who want to be president came to
the Texas state capital this weekend,” but “it was one other potential
contender who still looms over the field: former Vice President Joe Biden,”
who is “expected to launch his presidential campaign next month.” Aides
told CBS “Biden will be putting the finishing touches on his campaign team
and strategy, and he’s set to make public appearances this coming week in
Washington and his home base of Delaware.”

Philly (PA)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=00c-3bf&t=c>
(3/8, Tamari) reported, “As the Democratic presidential primary unfolds, a
network of Pennsylvania donors and political officials is waiting on one
man: Joe Biden. A cadre of old-guard fund-raisers and insiders view” Biden
“as a familiar and safe choice against President Donald Trump, especially
given his deep ties to Pennsylvania, likely to be a crucial swing state in
2020. Many have vowed to support Biden if he announces a run in the coming
days, as party insiders increasingly expect.” For example, Philadelphia
Democratic Party chief Bob Brady (D) “said that Biden ‘keeps telling me to
keep my powder dry,’ and that he is ready to back his longtime friend.”

Writing for the Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=00d-ed0&t=c>
(3/8), Stephanie Grace said that if Biden runs, “it’s already clear that”
he “can count on some high-level support from Louisiana.” Ex-New Orleans
Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D) has long argued that Biden “would be the party’s
best hope for success in next year’s general election,” and Rep. Cedric
Richmond (D-LA) concurs. Richmond, “who spent time with Biden when he
passed through New Orleans last year, told The New York Times this week
that he too thinks the former veep is the party’s ‘best candidate to beat
(President Donald) Trump.’”
Buzz About Possible Biden Bid Continues To Build.

Writing for Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=00e-61e&t=c>
(3/11) this morning, Mike Allen reports that advisers to Biden “say it will
be apparent within days whether he has decided to activate a presidential
campaign that would likely launch by early April. Between the lines: A
Biden insider tells me the ‘final, final’ decision is now ‘imminent.’”
Allen adds, “The Smart Brevity from Bidenworld: The former vice president
is highly likely – but not absolutely certain – to announce soon (by early
April).”

Writing for Talking Points Memo
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=00f-61c&t=c>
(3/11), Cameron Joseph says that Biden “will return to the stage for his
first explicitly political speeches since last fall’s midterms, with a pair
of high-profile events bringing him back into the national political
spotlight. Biden will headline the International Association of Fire
Fighters’ annual conference on Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C. The
union stands ready to endorse him as soon as he jumps into the campaign,
should he decide on a bid. Then on Saturday, Biden will head home to
headline the Delaware Democratic Party’s annual fundraising dinner.” Joseph
says those “speeches to friendly audiences” offer Biden “a chance to tune
up for 2020, test out key campaign themes and potentially make a big
announcement, though that seems less than likely to happen.”

Writing for the Delaware State News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=010-adf&t=c>
(3/9), Andrew West said, “All signs appear to point to a Joe Biden run for
president in 2020. And, we might just know the answer Saturday night when”
he “speaks at his state’s Democratic Party dinner at Dover Downs Hotel and
Casino. The event is sold out.”

The Wilmington (DE) News Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=011-cf3&t=c>
(3/8) reports that Ashley Biden “is leaving the Delaware Center for Justice
at the end of this month, increasing speculation her father, former Vice
President Joe Biden, is getting closer to entering the 2020 presidential
campaign.” Ashley Biden’s exit “as executive director of the Delaware
Center for Justice was announced Friday morning.” In a brief, online
article, WPVI-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=012-e74&t=c>
Philadelphia (3/8) reported that Ashley Biden’s departure “is fueling
speculation about her father’s potential 2020 presidential run.”

The Wilmington (DE) News Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=013-e16&t=c>
(3/8, Jedra) ran a piece looking back at the reasons given by Biden about
why he didn’t enter the 2016 race for president. The article added that
Biden “has been teasing for months that he is close to making a decision
for the 2020 election.”

Hometown Life (MI)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=014-8e4&t=c>
(3/8) reported that ex-South Lyon Mayor Tedd Wallace “had just picked up
some baked goods and was heading to the cashier at about 5 p.m. Wednesday
at the Seaside Market and Deli in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin
Islands, when he” came across former Vice President Joe Biden, who “was
weaving in and out of the aisles, searching for spaghetti sauce for his
wife, Jill, who was already in line. ‘I knew he had come to the island
before, they have a house on the ocean here and I walked up to him,’
Wallace said. ‘He was very gracious, very nice.’”

Drawing from the Hometown Life story, The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=015-698&t=c>
(3/8, Axelrod) reported that Biden “was spotted traveling in the Caribbean
this week as” he “weighs potentially launching a 2020 White House bid.” The
Hill added, “The Associated Press reported Friday that Biden was on the
island to work through remaining concerns with his wife, Jill, before he is
expected to announce a bid.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=016-ddc&t=c>
(3/9, Starr) highlighted the AP report on Biden visiting St. Croix.
Media Analyses: Biden Would Bring Potentially Problematic Baggage To A 2020
Run.

In a blog post on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=017-d0b&t=c>
(3/10), Jennifer Rubin said that if Joe Biden runs, his “challenge is
four-fold: Mastering online fundraising; coming to terms with his record on
race; maintaining self-discipline; and setting out a vision that is more
than a defense of the Obama years.” Rubin adds that Biden’s “decades-old
remarks about segregation and his championing of the crime bill in the
1990′s (which led to mass incarceration of African Americans)” could hurt
him with black voters. So, Biden “will need to take this issue head-on,
right up front, express remorse and explain how he has learned about racial
injustice over the years.”

On its website, ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=018-b68&t=c>
(3/8, Klein, Parks) reported that “potential holes and pitfalls in Biden’s
own history are already on display, amid scrutiny that reveals no shortage
of targets. Consider that while other Democratic candidates debate
reparations for descendants of slaves and Native Americans, The Washington
Post unearthed
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=019-292&t=c>
this Biden quote from 1975, when Biden already was a senator: ‘I feel
responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own
generation. And I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what
happened 300 years ago.’” Biden “might yet be the Democrats’ answer for the
future. But first he may have to prove that his past is compatible with the
party’s present.”

Writing on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=01a-47f&t=c>
(3/8), Philip Bump said that “there’s certainly a case to be made that the
popular, front-running Biden of the moment could quickly transform into a
less-popular, middle-of-the-pack Biden once Democratic voters contrast his
track record with candidates who have embraced positions that are more in
step with where the party is today.” Bump highlighted the aforementioned
Washington Post story about Biden’s opposition to “a school desegregation
plan in the 1970s,” and added that his record on the 1990s crime bill and
the handling of the Thomas/Hill hearings could also be problematic for
Biden.

In an online analysis, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=01b-2f0&t=c>
(3/8, Todd, Murray, Dann) highlighted the same Washington Post story, and
added that Biden’s “greatest strength is that he’s been in the mainstream
of American politics for the last 50 years. And that’s his greatest
weakness, too. It raises the question: Can the Democratic Party we saw
nearly melt down this week over Ilhan Omar handle Biden’s past – whether
it’s busing, race or Anita Hill?” Writing for Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=01c-4b6&t=c>
(3/8), Joe Perticone said that ahead of a likely 2020 bid, Biden “has a lot
going for him,” but he “has several flaws in key areas as well,” including
the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings and the 1990s Crime Bill, among
other things.

Under the heading “Joe Biden’s 1993 Crime Bill Speech Is Worse Than
You Think,” Paste Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=01d-e68&t=c>
(3/8, Ryan) highlighted CNN story
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=01e-b96&t=c>
(3/7, Kaczynski) (covered in Friday’s briefing) on a 1993 speech Biden
delivered advocating for the 1994 Crime Bill, and added, “Polls today
indicate he’s the frontrunner, narrowly, but the reaction to videos like
these will determine whether that support is ironclad, or whether it’s
vulnerable to eroding when he’s fully vetted.”

Writing for Forbes
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=01f-8af&t=c>
(3/10), Bill Whalen highlights what he sees as potential “problem[s] or a
Biden candidacy,” saying that Biden “voted for NAFTA and opposed Bush 43’s
Peru Free Trade Agreement (that was in 2007, when he was competing against
[Hillary] Clinton and [Barack] Obama).” Biden also “voted in favor of the
2005 bankruptcy bill (it was backed by credit-card lenders, many of which
are based in Biden’s Delaware), a detail that [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren
pointed out in the run-up to the last presidential election.” Whalen also
said that Biden would face challenges in fundraising.

Writing for Salon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=020-902&t=c>
(3/10), Matthew Rozsa said, “While the idea of Biden is no doubt quite
electable both in the primaries and general, the reality of Biden may prove
to be a very different story. For one thing, there is the problem of
Biden’s political past. As the Democratic Party moves farther to the left,
Biden has a legislative record” that includes, among other things, “his
support of Bill Clinton’s now-vilified 1993 crime bill”; backing “a freeze
on Social Security spending; opposing antitrust legislation; backing former
Bill Clinton’s controversial financial deregulatory policies, which
contributed to the Wall Street crash; denouncing the Roe v. Wade decision
as having gone ‘too far’; and opposing school busing as a means of
desegregation.”

Writing for Washington Monthly
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=021-56b&t=c>
(3/8), Martin Longman said, “The Democratic Party is already on our
antitrust bus, and” Biden “needs to get on board too, because his record as
a senator on these issues is woeful.” As an example, Longman highlighted “a
recent Huffington Post piece
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=022-8b3&t=c>”
by Zach Carter that said when Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) in 1979 tried to pass
some anti-trust legislation, he “almost immediately ran into problems with
Biden. When Coca-Cola urged Congress to exempt the soft drink industry from
these antitrust regulations, Biden joined Republicans to pass such a bill
over the objections of Kennedy and Department of Justice antitrust expert
Ky Ewing. ... As Biden fought Kennedy on the Coca-Cola bill, he was also
trying to thwart a Kennedy effort that would have empowered consumers to
sue over a broader swath of antitrust violations.”

In an online article, NPR
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=023-bff&t=c>
(3/9, Taylor) reported that veteran Democratic pollster Peter Hart “is
skeptical of early surveys that show Biden with a lead, given the type of
change the party base seems hungriest for. The gaffe-prone politician will
also face questions about his background on civil rights, criminal justice
issues and more. ‘If he thinks of himself as the Colossus of Rhodes and
everyone sort of has to maneuver around him or through him, I think he will
get off to the wrong start,’ Hart cautioned.”

*CNN’s Enten: Biden Should Focus On His Record As Obama’s Vice
President. *In an online “analysis” for CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=024-daa&t=c>
(3/9), Harry Enten said, “Not surprisingly, a statistical analysis of”
Biden’s “congressional voting record suggests” he “is among the most
moderate in the 2020 field. The problem for Biden is obvious: the
Democratic electorate is moving to the left.” However, Enten said “I would
argue that looking at ideology through the normal left-right spectrum
doesn’t get at Biden’s appeal. Voters like Biden not because they don’t
know or don’t understand his left-right ideology,” but “because he was the
vice president to the most popular Democrat in the country, Barack Obama.
Biden’s best chance of winning is not to run from his record. It’s merely
to focus on his most recent record...as Obama’s number two. It’s far from a
guarantee that it will work, though it really could help ameliorate the
potential flaws of his past record in the Senate.”

*Writer Highlights Biden’s Grilling Of Shultz On Reagan
Administration’s South Africa Policy. *Writing for Washington Monthly
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=025-e4a&t=c>
(3/8), Nancy LeTourneau said, “While it’s clear that Biden has many flaws,
he has also had moments of courage and brilliance.” As an example,
LeTourneau provides a clip of video showing Biden, as chair of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, grilling then-US Secretary of State George
Shultz about the Reagan Administration’s “position on South Africa. That is
when Joe Biden had a defining moment of justified outrage.” LeTourneau
added that “if we are going to be subjected to reports about” Biden’s
“failures in the past (which are fair game), we need to balance that with
his successes. When someone needed to call out the Reagan administration
for their racist policy on South Africa, Joe Biden stepped up to the plate
in a profound way. That’s part of his legacy, too.”
AP Analysis: Biden Would Face Fundraising Challenge In A 2020 Bid.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=026-871&t=c>
(3/8, Peoples, Pace) reported that “on the cusp of another” presidential
bid, former Vice President Joe Biden “faces a daunting challenge that could
complicate his path to the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination: money.”
The AP said that “those close to” Biden “believe he would start off at a
fundraising disadvantage compared to would-be rivals, whose campaigns have
benefited from an early flood of small-dollar donations from the most
liberal wing of the party.” A source told the AP that Biden has “decamped
this week to St. Croix, a favorite Biden family vacation spot in the
Caribbean, to discuss the remaining roadblocks with his wife, Jill.” The AP
added that “those close to Biden expect him to signal his decision – at
least internally – in the coming days to be followed by an intense period
of hiring ahead of an April announcement should he decide to run.”
De Blasio Dings Bloomberg, Says Biden Too “Moderate” To Win Democratic
Nomination.

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=027-967&t=c>
(3/10, Calder) reports that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) “rubbed salt
on billionaire former Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s wounds Sunday night, saying he
agreed ‘110 percent’ with his predecessor’s decision to drop out of the
2020 presidential race because he had ‘no chance’ to capture the Democratic
nomination. ‘We are a progressive party more and more that is desperately
troubled by the wealth and power being concentrated in the hands of the one
percent,’ de Blasio said during an appearance on Showtime’s ‘The Circus:
Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth.’” De Blasio added, “I don’t
think we’re going to nominate one of the eighth richest men in the world.
That is not someone who is going to change that reality.” De Blasio “also
said former Vice President Joe Biden is too much of a ‘moderate’ Democrat
to win the party’s presidential primary.”
WPost’s Scott: Biden’s Appeals To Bipartisanship Find Traction Because He’s
A White Male.

Writing on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=028-718&t=c>
(3/8), Eugene Scott said that former Vice President Joe Biden “and others
describe him as a lawmaker with a bipartisan approach, one who can work
across the aisle to ‘get things done.’” However, said Scott, other
Democratic contenders like Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Amy Klobuchar
(D-MN) “are also emphasizing their ability to work with lawmakers across
the aisle,” but “haven’t been able to harness that message as effectively –
yet.” Scott said polling “data suggests that white, moderate Democrats
might be less interested in electing a person of color or a woman than the
party’s more liberal base. The same might be true for the white
working-class voters drawn to [President] Trump’s message in 2016. For
them, Biden may appeal because of his background in a way that a female
candidate or a person of color does not.”

*Chait Dismisses Democrats’ Vow To Revive Bipartisanship As
“Harebrained.” *Writing for the Daily Intelligencer (NY)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=029-9a3&t=c>
(3/8), Jonathan Chait dismissed “as harebrained [and] fantastical” the vow
“peddled by numerous leading Democrats that they will revive
bipartisanship.” Chait cited Biden, Booker, and ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper
(D-CO) as making such vows, then added, “The Obama presidency was an
eight-year experiment in the possibility of obtaining Republican support
for major initiatives. It is impossible to imagine a more conclusive
result,” as Republicans refused to work with President Obama.
CNBC: Sources Say Biden May Emphasize Infrastructure Plans In A 2020 Run.

In an online article, CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=02a-6b2&t=c>
(3/8, Schwartz) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden “has been
actively meeting with his closest advisors about his preferred economic
policies, including crafting an infrastructure reform package that could be
part of his 2020 campaign if he decides to run for president.” CNBC said,
“An emphasis on infrastructure would give Biden an opportunity to directly
challenge Donald Trump on a key aspect of the president’s ‘Make America
Great Again’ agenda. Trump ran on improving the nation’s roads, bridges and
tunnels, but those policies have yet to take shape.” CNBC quoted a person
“who has spoken to Biden about infrastructure” as saying, “This is going to
be a very important plank in what Joe’s going to be advocating.”
If He Wins In 2020, Biden Would Become Oldest Person To Win US Presidency.

The Wilmington (DE) News Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=02b-be1&t=c>
(3/8, Smith) reported, “If Delaware’s favorite son Joe Biden were to be
elected president in 2020, he would be the oldest person to become
president since Donald Trump took office in 2017. On inauguration day (Jan.
20, 2021), Biden would be 78 years, 61 days old.”

*Writer: “Science On Aging” Shows Biden, Sanders, Trump, Warren
“Too Old To” Be President. *In a piece for the Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=02c-c73&t=c>
(3/8), freelance writer Linda Rodriguez McRobbie said, “The job of the
American president is one of the most difficult, mentally and physically,
in the world – even more so now that the planet is in peril. Age-related
decline is also real, backed not only by data and scientific evidence, but
by experience. Aging comes with physical and cognitive changes that affect
everything we do. Based on available science on aging, [Sen. Bernie]
Sanders, Biden, [ex-Gov. Bill] Weld, Trump, even [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren
are too old to lead this country. And with all the wisdom they’ve
ostensibly accrued over their years, they should probably know that.”
Virginia GOP Chief Rips Biden For Hiring Creator Of “Despicable” Latino
Victory Fund Ad.

Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=02d-7d9&t=c>
(3/10, Moran) reported that Virginia GOP chief Jack Wilson on Sunday
“slammed former Vice President Joe Biden for hiring Cristobal Alex, the
creator of the ‘despicable’ 2017 Latino Victory Fund ad” that aired during
that year’s race for governor. The ad portrayed “a white Donald Trump and
Ed Gillespie supporter attempting to run down minority children.” In a
statement, Wilson said, “There is no question that the LVF fund ad was
despicable, and given current events, it was obviously targeted at the
wrong candidate for governor. We’re not surprised that someone like Joe
Biden would hire such a divisive figure. Biden is too out of touch with the
American people to even win the circus that is the Democrat 2020 primary.”
Penn Democrats Won’t Endorse A Candidate Until March 2020.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Daily Pennsylvanian
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=02e-159&t=c>
(3/11, Bianco) reports, “Penn Democrats are considering endorsing a wide
variety of candidates for political office, including a candidate for the
looming presidential primaries.” However, “Penn Dems plan to wait to
endorse a favored candidate until March 2020. The club wants to hear
firsthand from visiting candidates and conduct extensive research into the
potential Democratic nominees for president.” The article adds, “Former
Vice President and Penn Presidential Professor of Practice Joe Biden has
still yet to announce whether he will run.”
Brown Says Potential Biden Bid Had “Zero” Influence On His Decision To Skip
2020 Race.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=02f-c4f&t=c>
(3/10, Burke) reported that during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,”
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), “who announced last week that he won’t run for
president, said Sunday that former Vice President Joe Biden’s potential
2020 bid did not influence his decision not to launch his own campaign. ‘It
was none of that. I know it’s been reported, but people who reported that
never called me, never called [my wife] Connie. … I like Joe Biden. I just
haven’t talked to him,’ Brown said,” adding “that he was asked several
times on the campaign trail by voters what kind of influence Biden’s
decision would have on his own. ‘My answer was always, ‘Zero,’’ Brown
said.”
NYTimes A1: Democratic Moderates Increasingly Concerned By “Sharp Left
Turn” Of 2020 Field.

“The sharp left turn in the Democratic Party and the rise of progressive
presidential candidates are unnerving moderate Democrats who increasingly
fear that the party could fritter away its chances of beating President
Trump in 2020 by careening over a liberal cliff,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=030-662&t=c>
(3/9, A1, Martin, Ember) reported on its front page. The Times said that
led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), “a democratic socialist who is the top
candidate in the race at this early stage, many vocal leaders in the party
are choosing to draw lessons from liberal victories in 2018 rather than the
party’s breakthroughs in moderate suburban battlegrounds that delivered
Democratic control of the House. These progressive Democrats risk playing
into Mr. Trump’s hands – he has repeatedly branded them ‘socialists’ – yet
they argue that their ambitious agenda can inspire a voter revolt in 2020
that elects a left-wing president.”

On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=031-f82&t=c>
(3/9, story 5, 2:05, Diaz-Balart), White House correspondent Kelly
O’Donnell reported that Democrats are “on the trail this weekend, from New
York to South Carolina, Iowa to a tech convention in Texas. But much of
this group has simply headed left.” According to O’Donnell, the candidates
are “staking out turf that is more politically progressive.”

*NYTimes A1: Desire To Oust Trump Keeps Democratic Enthusiasm
“Surging.” *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=032-50a&t=c>
(3/8, Ember) reported on its front page that “as the already large
presidential field grows by the week, the enthusiasm that propelled
Democrats to a decisive takeover of the House in the midterms is still
surging, driving crowd sizes and intensity typically seen in the days
before the first caucuses and primaries, not a year ahead of them.” The
Times said that “powered by an almost desperate yearning to oust President
Trump, and galvanized by the most diverse field in presidential primary
history, Democrats are packing into gymnasiums, churches and exhibition
halls to hear candidates speak – even if they are far from committed to
supporting the candidate they are showing up to see.” The Times added that
“the populist message many of the candidates have on offer is resonating.”
2020 Democrats Focus Early Efforts On Building Black Support.

“The annals of Democratic presidential primaries are littered with white
liberals who couldn’t win over black voters and lost the nomination because
of it,” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=033-950&t=c>
(3/9, Cadelago, Strauss) reported, adding that “this year’s contestants are
all too aware of that history.” Politico said that the 2020 Democratic
hopefuls’ “efforts are scrambling the usual early primary state-centric
rhythms of the presidential campaign, instead bringing candidates to other
states with large black populations.” Politico highlighted that Sen.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) “became the first non-Texan 2020 candidate to
visit the state when she spoke with students at historically black Paul
Quinn College in Dallas.” And Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “will soon make
a campaign swing through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, where the
Democratic vote is heavily black.” Politico added that Warren and Sen. Amy
Klobuchar (D-MN) “have already made stops in Atlanta and its suburbs, where
Klobuchar held a voting-rights roundtable with local leaders and Warren
spoke at a high school.”
Sanders Seeks To Shore Up 2020 Support In Early States Amid Threat From
Rivals.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=034-da2&t=c>
(3/8, Sullivan) reported that as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) this weekend
has made his first visits to “Iowa and New Hampshire since launching
another run for the Democratic [presidential] nomination, the army of
staffers, surrogates and supporters that propelled him to a strong 2016
showing in the early states has shown signs of splintering,” even though he
“begins as well positioned as any candidate to compete in the first two
Democratic contests, registering strong numbers in early polls, raising
heaps of cash and drawing an estimated 2,000 people to his debut here
Thursday night.” The Post added that Sanders “already trails the
competition in some respects,” as Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA) “have established the largest ground operations in Iowa,
according to interviews with local Democrats monitoring the activity.
Sanders, who launched his campaign after both, has yet to establish a major
presence, the Democrats said.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=035-961&t=c>
(3/10, Linskey) reports that Sanders “swept through New Hampshire on
Sunday, making his first stops as a 2020 presidential candidate in the
state that established him as a force in Democratic politics in 2016 – and
could play an outsize role in his ambitions next year.” His two rallies on
Sunday “were throwbacks to the events he became known for in 2016,” and,
according to the Post, Sanders “hopes to recapture that spirit, and those
votes, in his second presidential bid.”

*In Second Presidential Bid, Sanders Receiving “Warmer Reception”
From Democratic Senators. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=036-815&t=c>
(3/10, Everett, Levine) reported that in is first White House bid, Sanders
“was treated like a pariah within the Senate Democratic Caucus: His
colleagues thought his campaign was a liberal fantasy that served only to
damage Hillary Clinton. This time, though,” Sanders is receiving “a warmer
reception from the senators who constitute much of the Democratic
establishment he’s railed against. Senate Democrats say they’re open to
getting behind Sanders if he appears the strongest candidate a year from
now. And there’s no whiff of an effort to deny him the nomination,
according to interviews with more than 20 Democratic senators.”

*Unlike Most Other 2020 Contenders, Sanders Often Calling Out Trump
By Name. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=037-4b2&t=c>
(3/10, Wootson) reports, “In his first swing through Iowa and New
Hampshire” in his second bid for president, Sanders “has been an anomaly
among the Democrats vying for the White House, as he routinely uttered two
words that other candidates have often avoided: ‘Donald Trump.’” Other
“Democrats are strategizing about how or whether to attack Trump
explicitly, and in a twist, many are uttering his name rarely if at all,”
making Sanders’ “approach stand out. His statement that ‘we must defeat
Donald Trump’ garnered sustained applause during a speech at the Iowa
Fairgrounds on Saturday, suggesting it’s a line many Democrats – at least
Sanders’s crowd – want to hear.”
Warren Proposes Break-Up Of Large Tech Companies.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=038-705&t=c>
(3/8, Schor) reported that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has unveiled “a
proposal to break up the biggest US technology companies, saying they have
too much control over the economy and Americans’ lives.” The presidential
candidate suggested “legislation targeting companies with annual worldwide
revenue of $25 billion or more, limiting their ability to expand and
forcing parts of Google and Amazon’s current business structure to operate
as separate entities.” She also said that as president she would choose
“regulators who would seek to break up what she called ‘anti-competitive
mergers’ such as Facebook’s recent purchase of Instagram and Amazon’s
acquisition of Whole Foods.” A spokeswoman for Warren said that legislation
“was not imminent.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=039-5c5&t=c>
(3/8, Herndon) reported that Warren “will hold a rally in Long Island City,
the Queens neighborhood that was to be home to a major new Amazon campus.”
Her proposal, added the Times, “would prohibit platforms from both offering
a marketplace for commerce and participating in that marketplace.” The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=03a-782&t=c>
(3/8, Kendall, Schlesinger) reported that Warren’s proposal could elevate
antitrust rules as an issue in the campaign.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=03b-db7&t=c>
(3/8, Romm, Fung) called it “the most ambitious and aggressive effort
targeting the tech industry offered by any Democratic contender for the
White House.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=03c-cd5&t=c>
(3/8, Snider) reported the proposal “was quickly met with criticism,” but
her “supporters agreed with Warren that legislation is needed.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=03d-794&t=c>
(3/8, Bartz) reported that Warren “is seeking to stand out in a Democratic
field,” and “investors shrugged off her comments, with shares in the three
companies barely affected.”

*The Hill Analysis: With Sanders Running Strong, Warren Struggling
To Gain Traction. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=03e-941&t=c>
(3/9, Parnes) reported that Warren “is struggling to gain traction in her
bid for the White House as she faces stiff competition from” Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-VT) in the battle “for the hearts, minds and support of the
progressive lane in the contest.” Warren’s “poll numbers have lagged behind
not only Sanders but Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).” And while Warren “has
been a stellar fundraiser in her relatively short political career,” she
“has seen Sanders steal headlines by raising $10 million in his first week
on the campaign trail. That compared to the $300,000 Warren pulled in
during her first 24 hours.” Now, “Democrats say Sanders’s candidacy – which
shows no sign of slowing down – is her biggest obstacle at the moment.”

*Warren: “Just Wrong” To Label Me A Socialist. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=03f-00f&t=c>
(3/10, Sherfinski) reports that Warren on Sunday said it would be “just
wrong” to label her a socialist and she believes in “markets that work.”
Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Warren said, “I believe in markets.
Markets that work. Markets that have a cop on the beat and have real rules
and everybody follows them.” She said she believes in a “level playing
field. And as long as we’ve got that then we will get the best out of
markets because it means the people who come up with great ideas, who work
hard are the ones who will prosper, not simply those who were born into
wealth.”
O’Rourke Continues “To Tease His Plans For 2020.”

The Dallas Morning News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=040-d99&t=c>
(3/9, Jeffers) reported that ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) on Saturday “said
he was still working on a potential presidential roll-out as he continued
to tease his plans for 2020. ‘We’ll be announcing something soon,’” he
“said after the premiere of a documentary of his campaign for US Senate
called Running With Beto.” O’Rourke, who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in
2018, has ruled out a 2020 challenge to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) “and will
likely run for the Democratic nomination for president. ‘I want to make
sure I do it the right way and tell everyone at the same time,’ O’Rourke
said. ‘I got to be on the timeline that works for my family and the
country.’”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=041-504&t=c>
(3/11, Flegenheimer, Lerer) reports that O’Rourke “seems inclined to” run
for president in 2020, “according to interviews with people who have spoken
to him and other top Democrats,” though he “has done little to demonstrate
the kind of intensive preparation – building national political
infrastructure, projecting a signature policy rationale for a candidacy –
typically associated with a top-flight presidential campaign.” The Times
adds that “perhaps no major 2020 player invites as many question marks as
Mr. O’Rourke, and his drawn-out non-candidacy has provided few answers.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=042-6d1&t=c>
(3/9, Axelrod) reported that O’Rourke “teased a ‘big announcement’ [about
his] political future as speculation grows that the former senate candidate
has his sights set on the White House in 2020. His camp sent out an email
blast to supporters inviting them to be the first to know about O’Rourke’s
next move but did not clarify the date when the announcement will be made.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=043-e53&t=c>
(3/10, Weissert) reports that “Running With Beto” the documentary “will air
on HBO this Spring and illustrates how O’Rourke rose from a virtual unknown
– his first events attracted fewer than a dozen attendees, while his early
Facebook Live sessions don’t crack double digit viewers – to a national
Democratic star.” The documentary “is unfailingly sympathetic to and
positive about its candidate, but it also shows O’Rourke occasionally
lashing out at staff members – especially Cynthia Cano, his road manager –
for failing to ensure he arrives at events early enough to spend more time
with local reporters and for not fully preparing him to ‘dance’ during
interviews with members of the national media.”

*Conservative Group To Release Ad Targeting O’Rourke In Iowa. *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=044-61d&t=c>
(3/10, Isenstadt) reported that “prominent conservative group” Club for
Growth is “thrusting itself into the Democratic primary with a TV ad”
targeting O’Rourke – “a move that comes as Republicans consider a broader
campaign to meddle in the opposing party’s contest to take on President
Donald Trump.” The group is “expected to begin airing a two-minute
commercial in Iowa this week aimed at dampening liberal support for
O’Rourke, who’s expected to enter the race any day.”
Castro: I Am “The Antithesis Of Donald Trump.”

Ex-HUD Secretary Julian Castro, a presidential hopeful, on Sunday said
on MSNBC’s
Politics Nation[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=045-a1e&t=c>
(3/9), “I see myself as the antithesis of Donald Trump. He is trying to
tear this nation apart. He has been the most divisive President that we’ve
had in quite a while. I’d like to bring the country together. I’ve
demonstrated integrity and honesty in my public service versus the
corruption that we have seen in this Administration. I want to be a
President for all Americans and not just a President for 37 percent that he
sees as his base. I’m fundamentally focused on the future. I don’t want to
make this country anything again, I want to make our country better than
ever for all Americans.”

*Castro Optimistic Favorability Will Improve. *Castro, on CNN’s
State of the Union[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=046-870&t=c>
(3/10), discussed how he plans to improve his favorability ratings. He
said, “My favorability, the last month and a half, went up by six points.
I’m articulating a strong vision to make this country the smartest, the
healthiest, the fairest, and the most prosperous nation on earth. I can
tell that as I spend time in Iowa I’m going to gain traction. As you know
if we look at any presidential cycle, oftentimes it’s people who have
started off at three percent, one percent, two percent, including Donald
Trump that can win the nomination. So it is a long road, a long journey.”

*Castro: Sanders Hypocritical For Balking At “Big Check” For
Reparations. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=047-c93&t=c>
(3/10, Halaschak) reports Castro “suggested Sunday fellow primary
contender, Sen. Bernie Sanders was hypocritical for his comments on
reparations.” Castro, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=048-481&t=c>,
said Sanders supports writing “big checks” for a number of issues, “but
found it unusual that Sanders hasn’t spoken in support of compensating the
descendants of slaves.” Said Castro, “It’s interesting to me that when it
comes to ‘Medicare for All,’ healthcare, you know, the response there has
been we need to write a big check. … So, if the issue is compensating the
descendants of slaves, I don’t think the argument about writing a big check
ought to be the argument that you make if you’re making an argument that a
big check needs to be written for a whole bunch of other stuff.”
Inslee Emphasizes Climate Change In Presidential Run.

Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA), a presidential candidate, on Sunday appeared on CNN’s
State of the Union[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=049-50d&t=c>
(3/10), where he discussed why climate change is central to his campaign.
Said Inslee, “We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate
change and we’re the last generation that can do something about. We have
one shot, that’s the next administration. The world is on fire. We have to
act. Second, if you care about climate change you’re not alone. A poll came
out saying it’s the top priority tied with health care. The third is this
is not a single issue. If you care about the economy, the economy is being
ravaged by climate change. I’ve been on a tour looking at the job creation
going on, solar power in Iowa, batteries in Nevada, wind power in
Washington, so I’ve been looking at what a tremendous job-creating
opportunity it is. It’s also a national security issue.”
Booker Makes Case For Next Step Act.

In a Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=04a-6fd&t=c>
(3/10), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) writes that while the First Step Act made
“thousands of Americans who were sentenced under unjust
guidelines...eligible for immediate freedom,” the “momentous” law is “just
what its name suggests: one step on a long road toward fixing this broken
system.” Booker adds that “far too many Americans” are “unjustly stuck
behind bars,” and he has introduced the Next Step Act, which would “make
serious and substantial reforms to sentencing guidelines, prison
conditions, law enforcement training and re-entry efforts.” Booker says the
measure is “the most comprehensive, ambitious criminal justice bill to be
introduced in Congress in a generation.”
2020 Democrats Make Pitch At SXSW.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=04b-f40&t=c>
(3/9, Weber) reported that “a big chunk of the 2020 Democratic field began
making Texas an unlikely early-state stop Saturday and pushed back on big
tech in front of young, social-media savvy crowds in a city where companies
including Google and Apple have big footprints.” The AP said that Texas “is
an early primary state, but the real draw of the South by Southwest
Festival in Austin for Democrats is face time with the party’s ascendant
young and liberal wing.” On the CBS Weekend News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=04c-fe4&t=c>
(3/9, story 3, 2:30, Ninan), Ed O’Keefe similarly reported that the event
has been “giving candidates an excuse to talk up ideas on how to regulate
big tech companies and protect Americans’ privacy on line.” He added, “The
conversations with presidential candidates continue on Sunday. One of the
reasons the Democrats, especially, are eager to be here: A recent poll of
Texas voters found that President Trump is essentially tied with a
hypothetical Democratic opponent in 2020.”

In an interview with the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=04d-1fb&t=c>
(3/9, Astor) at SXSW, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke about “health care,
technology, foreign policy and other issues.” Klobuchar “expressed support
for several policies to lower drug prices,” and “criticized the relatively
short sentence given to the former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in
his financial fraud case this week, citing her experience prosecuting
white-collar crime.” She also “denounced President Trump for his attacks on
the news media,” and “said she disagreed with” Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN)
“recent comments about American politicians’ support for Israel, ‘because I
believe you can be true to your country and advocate for another country,
whether it is Israel or Canada or Ethiopia’ – but condemned Mr. Trump for
emboldening intolerance, including anti-Semitism, and noted Ms. Omar’s own
background as a refugee.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=04e-097&t=c>
(3/9, Siders) reported that ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) “took his 2020
campaign tease to South by Southwest on Saturday – and even by this city’s
eccentric standards, the act was getting weird.” Politico added that while
“he once again refused to discuss his 2020 plans,” what is “unusual is not
that O’Rourke hasn’t said yet if he is running,” but instead that he
“confirmed more than a week ago that he made his decision. He just won’t
say what it is.” Politico added that O’Rourke, “who sowed his entire
persona on a thread of authenticity – crisscrossing Texas while eschewing
pollsters and political consultants in his Senate run last year – is now
manufacturing suspense.”

Meanwhile, The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019031101biden&r=email-3433&l=04f-38e&t=c>
(3/9, Frazin) reported that ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, “who is
mulling launching a 2020 independent presidential bid, went after members
of both parties Saturday during a talk at the South by Southwest (SXSW)
festival in Texas.” Schultz said, “We’re living in a society right now
where you can send a tweet about anything...and all of a sudden you’re an
iconic celebrity. ... But that’s not going to solve the issues that we’re
facing.” The Hill said Schultz “sought to leverage his decades of
experience in business and years running a global corporation to make the
case that he could successfully lead the country if elected.”
WPost Examines Schultz’s Turbulent Ownership Of NBA Team.

In a more than 2,400-word, front-page article, the Washington Post
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(3/8, A1, Siegel) compared former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s failed
effort to turn around the Seattle SuperSonics with him “seriously exploring
an independent bid for president, promoting himself as a problem solver who
can use his business experience to fix the nation’s politics.” The Post
highlighted how Schultz’s “tenure with the Sonics was marred by conflict
with star players, fraught negotiations with lawmakers and private
outbursts at low-level employees, according to interviews with more than
two dozen former Sonics employees, co-owners and players, as well as
current and former Seattle city council members and Washington state
lawmakers.” The Post added that “the episode lingers as a stain on a
sterling business career – and it hangs over Schultz’s launch into national
politics.”
WPost Analysis: Trump’s “Behemoth” Reelection Campaign Has 2016 Populist
Themes.

The Washington Post
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(3/10, Dawsey) reports President Trump and his advisers are launching “a
behemoth 2020 campaign operation combining his raw populist message from
2016 with a massive data-gathering and get-out-the-vote push aimed at
dwarfing any previous presidential reelection effort, according to campaign
advisers, White House aides, Republican officials and others briefed on the
emerging strategy.” Trump’s advisers “also believe the Democratic Party’s
recent shift to the left on a host of issues, from the push for
Medicare-for-all to a proposed Green New Deal, will help the president and
other Republicans focus on a Trumpian message of strong economic growth,
nationalist border restrictions and ‘America First’ trade policies.”
However, the Post says the President’s strategy “relies on a risky and
relatively narrow path for victory, hinged on demonizing Trump’s eventual
opponent and juicing turnout among his most avid supporters in Florida,
Pennsylvania and the Upper Midwest.”

*Trump: I Have Accomplished More In “First Two Years Than Any Other
Administration.” *Trump took to Twitter
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on Sunday to write, “Despite the most hostile and corrupt media in the
history of American politics, the Trump Administration has accomplished
more in its first two years than any other Administration. Judges, biggest
Tax & Regulation Cuts, V.A. Choice, Best Economy, Lowest Unemployment &
much more!”
Leading the News
Trump To Seek $8.6B For Border Wall In Budget Proposal To Be Released Today.

Coverage of the President’s FY 2020 budget proposal, to be released Monday,
focuses primarily on the planned request for $8.6 billion for construction
of a US-Mexico border wall. ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
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(3/10, story 7, 1:50, Llamas) reported that with a “new border wall
showdown brewing, the price tag [is] growing. The White House says that
President Trump will request $8.6 billion to fund the wall when he releases
details of the proposed budget plan tomorrow.” Democrats are saying Trump
“is risking yet another government shutdown.” ABC’s Tara Palmeri: “The
President’s latest ask is billions above what he requested months ago,
sparking the longest government shutdown in US history.” In a joint
statement, House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer “smacked
down the President’s funding attempt.”

In a briefer item, Errol Barnett of the CBS Weekend News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
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(3/10, story 5, 0:50, Quijano) reported Trump is “preparing to announce his
new budget proposal Monday, which will include an increase in defense
spending, and five percent cuts across the board in domestic expenditures.
Democrats are already resisting the President’s effort to include border
wall funding as well.”

The AP
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(3/11, Mascaro) reports, “Trump is reviving his border wall fight,
preparing a new budget that will seek $8.6 billion for the U.S-Mexico
barrier while imposing steep spending cuts to other domestic programs and
setting the stage for another fiscal battle.” While budget documents “are
often seen as just a starting point” of negotiation, “fresh off the longest
government shutdown in history Trump’s 2020 proposal shows he is eager to
confront Congress again to reduce domestic spending and refocus money on
his priorities.” Bloomberg
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(3/10, Sink) reports, “The request is in addition to the funds that Trump
is hoping to allocate through executive action after declaring a national
emergency in February over the situation on the border.”

The New York Times
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(3/10, Baker, Tankersley) says the President, “undaunted by perhaps the
most bruising legislative defeat of his tenure, plans to kick off a fresh
effort on Monday to pressure Congress to pay for a wall along the
southwestern border, most likely setting up another showdown with
Democrats.” The Times says the President “failed to extract even a single
extra dollar for his wall during [the] winter battle” that led to the
shutdown. In their statement, USA Today
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(3/10, Cummings) reports, Pelosi and Schumer said, “Congress refused to
fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government.
The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again. We hope he
learned his lesson.”

The Washington Times
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(3/10, Sherfinski) reports NEC Director Kudlow said the President’s
“‘tough’ 2020 budget blueprint...could trigger a new fight over the his
desired U.S.-Mexico border wall.” Kudlow said on Fox News Sunday, “The
whole issue of the wall and border security is of paramount importance. We
have a crisis down there. I think the President has made that case very
effectively.” The Hill
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(3/10, Samuels) reports Kudlow also said Trump “will call for an
across-the-board domestic spending cut of 5 percent in his budget proposal,
even as he asks for an increase in funding for a wall along the southern
border.”

Kudlow said on Fox News Sunday[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
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(3/10), “We believe the 3 percent growth rate of 2018 will continue in 2019
and beyond 2020, so I think the other element is always to limit spending,
and the President is proposing roughly a 5 percent across-the-board
reduction in domestic spending accounts. It will be a tough budget. We are
doing our own caps this year, and I think it’s long overdue. Some of these
recent budgets have not been favorable toward spending, so I think it’s
exactly the right prescription.” The AP
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